Soapbox Engage Blog

Have you ever been looking over your fundraising calendar and thought, "Man, we need some fresh fundraising events here!" Or have you found yourself on the brink of starting a new fundraising campaign and wanted some unusual fundraising event ideas to get things started?

We get it. Sometimes you get into a fundraising rut, and you just need some ideas to get those creative juices flowing, add a little spark of excitement, or rally people to reach your fundraising goal. That's why we rounded up some great fundraising event ideas that you can add to your fundraising calendar.

Stand Out with These Fundraisers

1. High tea fundraiser
2. World's longest ice cream sundae fundraising event
3. Movie on the lawn fundraiser
4. Lawn "flocking" fundraiser event
5. Rubber duck derby fundraising event
6. Car or computer smash fundraiser

6 Unusual Fundraising Event Ideas For Any Nonprofit

While many of these fundraiser event ideas have been around for a while, some of them have fallen out of the spotlight or gone unused for quite some time. That means it’s probably time to dust them off and get them back into the rotation!

1. High tea fundraiser

Sure, we've mentioned cooking competitions and bake sales, but we're going for fresh and fun here. So, why not add some flare to your fundraising calendar with a proper high tea fundraiser? Supporters can relax and enjoy a cup of tea and some light sandwiches or cookies (which keeps the cost down for you). It's an elegant, charming way to connect with donors and raise money.

If you'd like to offer a bit more interactive or educational experience, consider offering a tea tasting option.

There are loads of creative options for this kind of fundraiser. Plus, if the weather cooperates, you can turn it into a proper afternoon garden party, making it a more COVID-safe gathering!

Don't be afraid to call around to local shops, restaurants, and venues. Some may already have a nonprofit fundraising event package already laid out. For example, the Mulberry House will do all the hard work for you with their High Tea Fundraising Event package!

2. World's longest ice cream sundae fundraising event

If your target audience is a little less on tea and crumpets and more on fun and revelry, maybe it's time to go for the longest banana split! After all, when it comes to ice cream, bigger is usually better.

Invite your supporters to an afternoon of lawn games and to dig into a giant ice cream sundae or banana split for your next fundraiser! It's really quite simple. Go to the hardware store and buy as many rain gutters as you'll need (or want). Line them with aluminum foil and start building your sundae—feet and feet of glorious ice cream bliss.

When everything's ready, all the participants line up on both sides of the gutter and dig in. You can up the ante of this event a bit by adding some kind of eating contest, too. But it also works perfectly as a fun afternoon of community, games, and sugar-rushes.

We'll be the first to admit this fundraising event is not very COVID-friendly. Still, it's definitely a crowd-pleaser for families and kids-at-heart when social distancing precautions become a thing of the past.

Are you raising money to fund a building campaign? Consider hosting this event at the future build site (if possible) and laying the gutters around some or all of where the foundation will be to give people a visual reminder of what they're supporting.

3. Movie on the lawn fundraiser

Here's another fundraiser that can be COVID-safe and honor social distancing regulations with a bit of planning and forethought. Many people have missed going to the movie theater over the past year. Hosting a movie on the lawn for your next fundraiser can help people enjoy an excellent movie for a great cause!

One approach is to show a fun movie that everyone will be really excited to see. Another strategy could be to choose a film that connects to your cause or mission and use it as an educational opportunity for your supporters.

How do you raise money with an event like this? Well, you can sell tickets to the event, or you can offer the movie for free and sell popcorn and other concessions to reach your fundraising goal. You can take your fundraising up a notch by providing premium seating or other perks for an extra donation.

No matter how you organize this fundraising event, the Soapbox Engage Events app will surely help reduce the stress of event registration.

4. Lawn "flocking" fundraiser event

This fundraiser isn't new, but it seems to have gone by the wayside in recent years, so we're resurrecting it because it's fun, quirky, and can be a very effective fundraising strategy for groups of any size.

The idea is really very simple: deploy a flock of flamboyant plastic flamingos (or whatever you'd like) in someone's yard with a large sign about your cause or initiative. Leave a note explaining that the individual or business has been chosen by someone to be "flocked." This person or company will need to contribute to your cause to have the flock of tacky lawn decorations relocated.

Typically, the person who pays to have the flock relocated gets to choose the next "recipient," and the fundraiser continues. If you run into a killjoy who doesn't see the humor of the event or want to participate, simply apologize and give the previous participant the chance to choose another location.

This is a fun, festive, quirky fundraiser that can really get your community laughing for a great cause. Plus, it's definitely COVID-safe!

Consider using the Soapbox Engage Forms app to make it easy for people to tell you where they'd like to relocate your flock of flamboyant fundraising flamingos.

5. Rubber duck derby fundraising event

Summer is nearly here, and rubber duck derby fundraisers are fun, easy, and very family-friendly events for nonprofits of all sizes.

To make this event really easy, you'll need access to a local waterway (preferably with a good current) that your audience can walk along to keep track of the duckies. However, you can create your own ducky racecourse on your own if necessary.

For a small donation, people "adopt" a rubber racing ducky for a chance at winning a variety of prizes. Some nonprofits offer prizes to the people whose ducks "win" the race. Others randomly scoop duckies out throughout the event as a fun way to "draw" for prizes. Or, you can sell raffle tickets linked to a number on each rubber ducky. The options are endless as long as you're raising money and your attendees are having a great time.

This is an excellent fundraiser to host in partnership with a more prominent festival or local event so you can cross-advertise and draw a larger crowd.

6. Car or computer smash fundraiser

It's ok; we can all admit we've fantasized about taking a sledgehammer to our printer, computer, or car at one point or another in a moment of frustration. Well, with this fundraiser, you'll be giving your supporters the chance to live that dream (without wrecking their own car or computer).

With this fundraiser, people pay a small fee to smash a car, computer, printer, or whatever else you decide to offer. You can either "charge" per hit or by the amount of time participants get in the "smash zone." Either way, loads of people will likely be excited to release some pent-up frustration for a good cause.

This fundraiser most often appears at events like school homecomings and similar gatherings. Still, you can always partner with other events or organizations to co-host a successful smash fundraiser.

Many junkyards are more than willing to donate an old car for a great cause! Be sure the glass, motor, and any fluids are removed ahead of time to avoid injury or a dangerous mess (like gasoline leaking everywhere). Then, gather an assortment of destructive tools like a sledgehammer, spray paint, hacksaws, and whatever else you'd like to offer.

Don't forget the safety equipment! Eye, face, and hand safety are essential for the success of this fundraiser, so be sure and provide safety goggles, face shields, gloves, and other safety gear. It's also a good idea to mark a safe perimeter to keep spectators at a safe distance.

At all these fundraising events, it's crucial to gather the contact information of participants, supporters, and anyone interested in learning more about your organization or mission. Reaching your fundraising goal might be the primary objective, but connecting with potential donors is a close second.

Use the Forms app to quickly gather all the essential information on a custom mobile form for each event. No more transcribing contact information into your CRM system or trying to read people's scratch handwriting! Then, add them to the appropriate contact list and stay in touch with people, whether they made a donation or not!

Now that your nonprofit fundraising calendar is filled with fun new events, here are three more resources to help you reach your goals.

• How to Write Event Descriptions for Your Fundraisers and Nonprofit Events: A good event description is essential to attracting people to your fundraisers and other events, but it’s both a science and an artform to write a great event description. With a bit of understanding of your ideal audience and what details to highlight, you’ll be writing event descriptions that have people lined up out the door for your next fundraiser! This blog post will help you do just that.
• 5 Proven Techniques to Boost Donations for Your Nonprofit: It can feel especially challenging or overwhelming to boost donations when the economy is a bit unpredictable or your current donations are taking a dip. This blog offers some proven strategies to connect with current and potential donors to increase donations.
• 10 Essential Ingredients of a Nonprofit Business Plan: Business plans are just as critical for charities and nonprofits as for companies and for-profit ventures. A business plan can be an invaluable tool to help you maintain a strong purpose statement and clear messaging. They can also help you get grants and loans, attract quality board members, and even gain corporate donors. This blog will walk you through the basic steps of creating your own helpful business plan for your nonprofit.